Monroe Scores Putback for the Win

By Broadside Correspondent Fox Parker

Monroe finished the game with nine rebounds and 15 points on a meager 5-of-12 shooting.

Looking to avenge their one-point loss to the Patriots earlier this season, Drexel started the game with an intensity the Patriots did not match.

From the opening tip, Drexel challenged the Patriots’ shooters and played physical defense in the paint. As a result, the Patriots missed their first seven shots, forcing them into an early 7-0 deficit. The Patriots finally got their first points 5:21 into the game when senior guard John Vaughan made a 3-pointer.

On defense, the Patriots did not fare much better as they were frequently out of position and lethargic. The Dragons muscled their way to 58 percent shooting from the field in the first nine minutes.

“I thought I was going to be going to a basketball game and ended up going to a kind of wrestling match,” said Mason coach Jim Larranaga. “I told the team beforehand, that this was not necessarily going to be a finesse game—it’s going to be a street fight.”

Toward the end of the first half, the Patriots acclimated themselves to the pace and physicality of the game and began to dig into Drexel’s lead. Freshman forward Mike Morrison was the catalyst, scoring six of his eight hard-earned points in the first half, to make the score 24-19 Drexel.

“From the start, we came out sluggish,” said Vaughan. “[But] once we were able to pick up our intensity we were able to get back in the game.”

Spurred on by Morrison’s aggressive play in the lane and a renewed sense of defensive focus, the Patriots caught up to the Dragons and went into the half tied at 24.

After Drexel controlled the lead for 19 of the first 20 minutes, there were 13 lead changes in the second half.

The Patriots’ first lead of the game came three minutes into the second half when junior forward Louis Birdsong made his third 3-pointer of the season to put the Patriots up 29-26. But much like their first meeting, Drexel would not stop fighting.
The Dragons led 48-45 with 1:02 remaining when Monroe, a 57 percent free throw shooter, was fouled and went to the line to shoot a pair of free throws. He made them both.

With 36 seconds remaining, senior guard Dre Smith fouled Drexel’s Spencer, forcing him to shoot a 1-and-1. The relatively sparse Patriot Center crowd reached a resounding 95 decibels on the arena’s sound meter as Spencer set up to shoot. His shot banged off the front iron and Monroe collected the rebound.

On the Patriots’ next and final possession, Monroe gathered Smith’s missed layup and scored the game’s final points.

Mason’s leading scorers were not as effective in the team’s win. Vaughan had seven points and eight rebounds while sophomore guard Cam Long recorded six points and two assists. Both guards shot a combined 4-of-15 from the field.

Defensively, Mason was able to make up for their poor offensive performance. The team forced 16 turnovers from the Dragons. Drexel shot only 35 percent from the field. Monroe had four steals and Birdsong had four blocks.

Drexel was led by forward Evan Neisler, who scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Neisler also had 11 rebounds before fouling out with 43 seconds left. Guard Scott Rodgers added 12 points for the Dragons.

Mason’s win over Drexel boosts the Patriots’ conference record to 11-5 and puts them in a tie with Northeastern University for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. More importantly, the victory means that Mason is one win away from securing a first round by in the CAA tournament.